Mangia! It can be a polite invitation or a strong suggestion. But however it's delivered, the Italian word always means "eat."

That made it the perfect name for the restaurant Keith Schmerber and his wife, Diane, started at the end of 2006 in the building that once housed the Harlequin Cafe, a longtime fixture in town. More recently, it was a Chinese restaurant before the Schmerbers took over and refurbished, but there was never any question in their mind what type of food they'd be serving: Italian.

"I believe it's pretty much everyone's favorite," explained Keith Schmerber, who has had a long association with the business of dining. Although he and his wife were professional ballroom dancers at one time and appeared on "Dance Fever," he always liked the flexibility of working in restaurants. He started as a busboy and has been a bartender before going into restaurant management. He previously ran the front of the house at Eccola in Parsippany.

Chef Sergio Pavas is best known for his stint at the eclectic Fred's Fish Market in Dover. His signature dishes include a potato leek soup ($5.95) garnished with crispy leeks. The chef isn't afraid to try different techniques, which adds excitement to the menu. Sometimes that approach doesn't work, as with a steak Napoleon special layering shrimp and lobster with filet mignon ($22.95) for an unhappy marriage of tastes that did not show off either the meat or the seafood to their best advantage. But more often, his slant is successful. The crispy grilled polenta ($10.95), for instance, takes an Italian staple as a base and puts together a ladder of excitement that ranges from the boldness of Gorgonzola to the tang of sun-dried tomatoes. The topping is rock shrimp and it's woven together with a mushroom brandy sauce.

The shrimp/Gorgonzola combination resurfaced in a special appetizer wrapped with prosciutto ($10.95.) served over endive spears. A white wine butter sauce tempered the slight bitterness of the endive, which played well with the cheese, though this dish was on the salty side because of the inherent nature of the cheese and prosciutto.

Fried calamari ($9.95) gets dressed up the way you'd like it, with a sweet or spicy marinara or a balsamic vinaigrette and hot cherry peppers. Another starter, breaded fried goat cheese ($6.95) is served over greens with a colorful chopped tomato topping.

Homemade gnocchi in a sage butter sauce ($16.95) has enough of the herb's essence to create charisma, all handled with an Italian grandmother's just-right touch. The grandmother's presence wasn't evident in the osso bucco ($19.95), however. It had a rather tough texture, instead of measuring up to the melt-in-your-mouth standard that has made this dish a hearty favorite.

Not surprisingly, considering the chef's background, the restaurant offers very interesting fish choices. There's pan-seared potato-crusted salmon with a dill and caper cream sauce ($17.95) and spinach and crabmeat-stuffed fillet of sole in a champagne cream sauce ($16.95).

The wine list is quite reasonable, with good choices for $25 and less, in keeping with the price points of the meal. While Mangia offers splurges such as the filet mignon special, most entrees are less than $20 and several, such as rotisserie chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and grilled veggies, go for a mere $15.95.

Desserts ($6.50) produced on the premises include a killer chocolate mousse cake layered with chocolate ganache, cinnamon/ walnut/raisin bread pudding, served warm, and creme brulee.

Specials are recited by the server instead of being printed out, but prices are given without being asked, which is a plus. That's typical of the considerate service and hospitality that makes you feel like an honored guest in the owners' home. I'm seeing this style less frequently these days, so that approach is quite special.

One small suggestion -- bread that needs to be pulled apart is a little too much like home. When I'm dining out, I don't welcome bread that has been touched by others, and they probably aren't thrilled at having my fingerprints all over theirs, either.

There's entertainment on Thursday nights, and the owner notes people often get up and dance, even though there is not a formal dance floor. But you'll find plenty of space between the tables to twirl your partner.

Mangia is a nice fit for this location. The atmosphere is pleasant, with green awnings on the inside giving it the feel of an Italian courtyard. It's got enough sophistication to be interesting, yet at the same time, doesn't over-reach its basic premise. The menu is sufficiently varied to please a wide audience. So go ahead -- mangia.